New Delhi: Samsung dominated the premium smartphone segment in India in the first half of 2018 with almost half the market share, a new report from CyberMedia Research (CMR) said on Friday.

According to CMR India’s “Mobile Handset Review” report, Samsung (48 per cent) was followed by Chinese smartphone player OnePlus, which grabbed the second spot with 25 per cent share, and Apple with 22 per cent share.

“The premium smartphone segment, though small, is driven by aspirational, tech-savvy millennials and in the coming years, will continue to grow significantly. Samsung’s flagship S9 helped it garner a lion’s share of the premium smartphone segment,” Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group, CMR, said in a statement.

One in two premium smartphones shipped in the first half of 2018 was a Samsung device.

“The success of OnePlus 6 can be traced to the intelligent brand strategy of packing the best specs at competitive price points, contributing to the emergence of a new ‘budget premium’ smartphone segment under sub-Rs 30,000,” added Ram.

During the first half of 2018, OnePlus introduced its “OnePlus Experience Stores” and is planning to embrace offline in a big way, to complement its strong online presence.

The iPhone-maker suffered a decline in demand for its iPhones due to pricing challenges on account of post-duty increase.

“Apple is reworking its India strategy for the all-important second half of 2018, with new retail partnerships, first-party stores and service overhauling with India-focused apps and services, including refreshed Apple Maps,” said Narinder Kumar, Lead Analyst-Industry Intelligence Group, CMR.